Habitable planet found

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/environment/2012/February/environment_February5.xml&section=environment

(IANS)

3 February 2012

A potentially habitable planet orbiting a nearby star has been discovered by scientists.

With an orbital period of about 28 days and a minimum mass 4.5 times that of the Earth, the planet orbits within the star’s “habitable zone”, where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface, Xinhua reported. snip

Researchers from the University of California and the Carnegie Institution for Science and astronomers conducted the study.

[Sheepshank]

1. Tell Newt

I think he wants to be king of the world. He could get a mass exodus going of thos that want to be under his leadership.......oh wait.

[rfranklin]

2. Can we send Newt and all the other teabaggers to colonize it?

That would make my dream and his come true.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

6. I have a better idea, why don't we them here to clean up.

[meow2u3]

11. Maybe we can contact the extraterrestrials there

and tell them we have a new batch of slaves for them, such as Newt, Ricky, and every fascist who walks the earth.

[Vincardog]

3. The researchers found evidence of at least one and possibly two or three additional planets orbiting

the star, which is about 22 light-years from Earth, according to a study published Thursday in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The host star is a member of a triple-star system and has a different makeup than our Sun, with a much lower abundance of elements heavier than helium, such as iron, carbon, and silicon.

This discovery indicates that potentially habitable planets can occur in a greater variety of environment than previously believed.

[MattBaggins]

4. "potentially habitable"

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

5. "With an orbital period of about 28 days"

It sounds like virtual paradise for those who enjoy the changing of seasons.

[HopeHoops]

9. Not for women - "Are you a Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter lady?"

Note: Not really intended as a joke.

[HopeHoops]

7. Cross post in the Science group.

[kentuck]

8. When do we leave?

Do I need an extra shirt?

[RickFromMN]

10. Hope there's life there. Not sure how long there will be life here the way we destroy things.

Hope the life there is intelligent, more intelligent than us.

Can we send them a history of the human race so they can prepare for our coming?

Nearby means we will eventually try to conquer and colonize that planet. It's what we do.

[Vehl]

12. cool!

If only 10% of what we had wasted on wars were spent on science..we might have developed some technology to actually go there!

wormhole generators anyone ?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Alas. "Nearby" is a very relative term.

And, given the speed of light, it may have blown up 21 years ago.

[Johnson20]

14. My guess is that there are "billions and billions."